Kindergarten Here We Come

Kai had his 1st day of kindergarten today. He handled it like a superstar. He was excited and brave and happily waved goodbye when it was time to part. He looked very handsome in his school uniform- loving school uniforms so far!











When I was pregnant with Kai we 100% knew we didn't want him to start to kindergarten until he was 6. August birthdays are tough for what to do about school-now we have two kids with August birthdays. It mostly boiled down to we felt like it was a MAJOR advantage (academically, socially, and athletically) to be an "older" and we weren't in a rush to have him off to school. Selfishly we also didn't want to lose a year of time with him in our home. We knew family and friends that had done well and even loved being "youngers", but that just wasn't what we wanted to do. And yes we felt strongly this way well before ever reading The Outliers. Over the last few years we have learned that people have pretty firm and outspoken opinions about this one way or the other. This was just our opinion.

Last year we had him in a 3 year old preschool class even though he turned 4 about 2 weeks before the class began. It was great and we loved it for many of the reasons we listed above. It helped that his 2 best buddies who had birthday within 3 weeks of his were also doing the same thing. In UT you had to be 5 by the end of August to go to kindergarten so Kai would have really been the very youngest.

When we found out we were moving I spent countless hours trying to find the right preschool. It was one of my largest stresses about moving. We eventually narrowed it down to 2 preschools, we talked to friends and family of friends from Vegas, we visited schools and on and on and on. In the end we just didn't feel that any of them were right for Kai. He is a smart little cookie and he really was ready to be in a program where the kids were reading and doing more than the average preschool. So we felt stuck.

Finally I emailed some of the local kindergarten teachers to get their advice on preschools. We picked where we are living based on elementary school rankings so I thought they would be a good resource. Several email exchanges later with one thoughtful teacher we decided on a new plan. A plan that we had firmly decided we didn't want to do in UT.

Kai will attend 1/2 day kindergarten this year at one of 2 elementary schools that are literally so close that they share a parking lot. Our hope is that he will then attend full day kindergarten at the other school next year. We know all of the reasons why this might not work or be a good idea- they are the same reasons why we didn't want to do this plan in UT. We will evaluate at the end of the year and make an informed decision. But it is the new plan for now.

The last few months have been a good lesson to us in faith and being led. If you had told us 6 months ago that we would be living in Las Vegas and Kai would be starting kindergarten we would have thought you were crazy. That wasn't our plan and we are planning people. But things have fallen in place with much of this adventure in ways that we can't even comprehend or ignore. Perhaps it is a needed lesson on listening harder- even for the answers that aren't what we thought we wanted to hear.

So today we have a super cute kindergartner that had fun working on his homework. It was another reminder that the days can sometimes be long but the years are passing so quickly. How is it possible that we have a child in elementary school?

Weather Update

It has been very HOT here since we moved in which was no big surprise. It seems to say 106 a lot in our car. The car air conditioning has been on the lowest temp at the hardest force non-stop.

Then last week it rained for the 2nd time since we've been here. It seems that when it acutally rains here it rains really hard. It only rained for about 10 minutes, but it was wonderful.



This week we are having a cold spell. The high has been in the 90's. We've been on walks and played in parks all in an attempt to soak up some non scorching fresh air. We've been LOVING it.

Not to worry though. The heat is supposed to be back in the next day or so.

Primary Water Activity

The first time we pulled in to a parking spot at our new Church parking lot Kai called out enthusiastically "Let's go meet our new friends!" Needless to say he's probably been the easiest one adjusting out of all of us so far- largely because of that positive attitude no doubt.

So, last Saturday he was pretty excited that there was a Primary activity he could attend. Lance was studying so Rori and I accompanied him which was just fine by Rori. It was a water themed play activity with all sort of game booths. Perfect for the heat. He was put in a group of all boys. Afterward Kai said "This was the best day at Church here so far". I guess that means he had fun.

Endless Summer

We decided to take one last grand summer adventure before Lance's school officially starts tomorrow. We joined his parents and his brother Tyler's family for a day on Lake Powell. Kai and Rori were in heaven with the combination of water, cousins, and grandparents. Kai got to try out a new tube with Kennedy which he loved. He and Lance had fun experimenting with surfing behind the boat too. The trip also included some yummy meals and some cousin/ grandparent sleepovers. We had a great time and enjoyed the company, the beautiful scenery, and a little break before the chaos begins. Thanks for having us!

Parks

So there seems to be a big goal here of having a park or recreation facility within a half-mile of most homes. We have a great one close to where we live that I think we are really going to enjoy. We haven't been brave to spend much time there yet due to the summer heat, but last night after dinner we decided to brave it and boy were we glad. The temperature was pleasant as the sun was dropping, the sunset was beautiful,and it was nice to see other people out and about as well. When it isn't so hot I think we will enjoy the big field (which has a pretty good view of the strip), basketball courts, and the super cool playground with age appropriate sections and that spongy soft ground stuff almost everywhere but the grass which is soooo much better than sand or bark chips. Right now the splash pad is pretty great too.









Did I mention how awesome the sunsets have been here almost every night so far?

Rec. Center Swimming

The weeks seem to be flying by here so far so I guess that is a good sign on how we are thus far adjusting. This has been largely based on the fact that Henderson has awesome parks and rec. centers.

About a month before me moved I signed Kai up for a 2 week, M-TH swim lesson at the rec. center closest to where we live. I thought it would be good for several reasons- he LOVES swimming, it would help him be around some kids his age, and it would give us all some structure in the early weeks of adjustment. Well, today was the last day and it was great.

The facility is AMAZING. Think 2 outdoor pools, 1 indoor pool, huge water slide, indoor track, tons and tons of classes for kids and adults, a kid care place, and on and on. So far we've only really experienced the outdoor pool but I am already pretty please with it. The lessons were good, the teacher was on the ball, and the whole operation seems well put together, and Kai really seemed to enjoy it. During the lessons Rori and I could watch Kai from the "activity pool" which helped us stay cool.

One of the days Kai and Rori's buddies Ella and Dylan and their Mom (from our LA trip) who were in town for a quick visit joined us afterward for more swimming. We were at the pool from 9:30am-1:30pm and my kids were in heaven. Kai and Ella marched right up the waterslide stairs when it opened and did about 5 runs. It was awesome. Some dark clouds moved in while we were there which was fun but we didn't get 1 raindrop from it.







For the last day today Kai got to go down the slide again a few times. I had Rori happily settled on the chair next to me with a snack for 2 minutes so I was able to take these pictures. Note cheese on nose.

Birthday Bash 2010

We spent the last 2 weeks settling in some and getting the new house better put away. We've had the cable man out a few times, the carpet cleaners out, and I've spent endless amounts of time on the phone with various other services.

But the most exciting news is that Kai turned 5 and Rori turned 2 last week. Which makes me a little teary if I think about it too much. To help us celebrate both sets of grandparents came to visit! The kids were in heaven with all the attention, gifts, and non-stop excitement.

This was Lance's parents 1st visit to the new house so it was fun to get to show them around. Among other thing they also drove our 2nd car from SLC filled with last minute packed items I threw in before leaving. They also helped us create our own stock of rasberry "grandma jam" for here. The jam is a staple for us. So, both of these things were a big relief for us to have safely here.

The house was a little more put together this time around for my parents and Whitney. I was especially proud to show them my $25 garage sale massive desk and bookshelf find for the area we weren't quite sure what to do with. They stayed at a hotel this time so we had fun 1 day hitting their pool.

We also did a quick trip to the Venetian one night, went to Lucille's with Lance's parents for dinner, watched Kai at swim lessons, and just enjoyed all being together.

We had a great time having everyone in town and were sad to see them all go. We are so blessed to have such great families!





































Happy Happy Birthday to our sweet Kai and Rori!

I can't believe that Kai is really 5 years old. That really does seem so old. Here are some things I'd like to remember about Kai at 5 years old:
-He asks us about 5000 questions a day. Lance wants one of those clickers to test it someday. The really scary part is that he remembers every detail of our answers- even years later.
-Because of his great memory and honest nature (if he starts to embellish something he will immediatley tell you) we know when he tells us something that it is accurate. This comes in handy when I can't remember the name of someone etc.
-He continues to love all sports. He's especially loving swimming, baseball, and scooter riding currently.
-He still has that white blonde hair that solicits comments from strangers everywhere we go and is super tall and skiny.
-He loves pizza, cafe rio, and will have just a bite or two of dessert.

I'm pretty sure it was just yesterday that Rori was turning 1. This reminds me that I really do need to get her 1st year book finished a year later. Here are some things I'd like to remember about Rori at 2 years old.
-She is one silly and fun little girl. She loves to laugh and do anything Kai is doing right behind him with that big grin. She makes us laugh all the time.
-She loves her blanket and binky still and would happily tote them all around town with her- the blanket doesn't go further than the car, but I still feel a little silly handing her a blanket in the car when it is 106 out.
-We sometimes refer to Rori as little miss sassy pants. There is no telling this little one what to do when she doesn't feel like it. She is more than happy to finally be an official 2 year old. She can go directly from one of her sassy/ naughty moments to smoothering you in kisses so it is hard to not laugh at her antics as you are trying to put her in time out.
-Rori is still sporting her strawberry blond hair. There is a little more of it than last year, but we are still waiting for it to make some real progress. We also get stoped often for comments about her hair by strangers. She also continues to be tall and skiny like her big brother.
-Rori loves junk food- chips, sweets, and everything else a true girl should love. I still struggle a little getting her to eat normal things (like bread) but she loves things like hummus, spicy salsa etc. She really is our sweet and spicy little red head girl.

We love you Kai and Rori!